Having started a fight with Fred Sirieux the night before, YouTuber Nella Rose took on Nigel Farage on the latest episode I'm a Celebrity... last night. Nella asked the former UKIP leader why "everyone hates" him, and accused him of being "anti-immigrant". "Who told you that?" Nigel asked. "The internet" she replied. Farage countered jokingly: "Oh, well... then it must be true".
Nella Rose then changed tack, asking instead "OK, but then why don't black people like you?". Nige retorted, "You'd be amazed, they do... if you came with me through south London, you'd be astonished", hinting that he has lots of fans south of the river.
Farage said he doesn't hate immigrants, but that is was "impossible to get a GP appointment" these days. Nella pointed out that migrants are the backbone of the NHS, and the real problem is low funding. After some heated discussion, the group agreed that it was important that they can "agree to disagree", showing more maturity than many of our politicians.
Nella confirmed her rivalry with Fred still simmering too. “There’s no situation with me and Fred, it’s just camp life” she said. “He stays over there, and I stay over here.”
In the previous episode, Nella had rashly interpreted Fred’s comment that he was old enough to be her dad as a pointed barb about her dead father, who she is still mourning. Fred had apologised, but Nella remained upset.
Last night, she even seemed to admit she may be in the wrong, sheepishly calling herself the “villain” of the group. And in a candid conversation with food critic Grace Dent, Nella gave some context for her outburst, saying that she struggled with her mental health when her father died around the pandemic, drinking too much and gaining weight.
Elsewhere, there was also some redemption for Jamie-Lynn Spears, who spent the first three days a whimpering wreck, sobbing that she missed her kids. But when she was picked for a terrifying bushtucker trial where she had to climb 100ft in the air and stick her hands in boxes of cockroaches, Jamie-Lynn suddenly turned into Lara Croft, claiming all 10 stars.
She even came back laughing about her previous tears. Ant and Dec were lost for words, and so were her campmates. All that excitement almost overshadowed a big announcement from Farage: he still has fantasies of political office.
Specifically, Nige is wondering if he could be Tory leader if and when the party lose the next election. “Whether it’s going to happen I have no idea” Nige said to camera, with a glint in his eye. “The important thing is this – never say never.”
He's failed to become an MP in elections seven times already, but a comeback isn't impossible. Farage got a fair bit of airtime to pontificate all episode, telling of his admiration for Blair and Thatcher. But all that politics is a red herring. Nige’s true calling is clearly as as scout leader. He was very put out by the camp developing a rat problem because of their bad hygiene – having a pop at “slovenly” standards, and branding someone's washing up a “f**king joke”.
Nige pledged he was doing a “final inspection” of the site before lights out from now on. He also came into his own when chopping up game bird for dinner, a skill honed on shooting weekends. But he’ll be given a run for his money as alpha male from now on, as jockey Frankie Dettori and boxer Tony Bellew are joining the show tonight.
Tipped to win: Josie Gibson remains odds-on favourite, and endearingly mis-pronounced Jamie-Lynn’s “emancipation” from her overbearing parents as “e-masterbation”. It's not clear the gaffe was intentional. Fred Sirieux spends lots of time with his shirt off, giving Marvin for JLS a run for his money as group heart-throb – if you squint, it’s almost like Peter Andre is back in the jungle. However, Fred couldn’t quite pull off a cringeworthy Jamaican accent, which he debuted when trying to write a song.I'm a Celebrity... is on ITV and ITVX at 9pm every night
